Coke oven door machine



March 4, 1952 o. M. TWEIT COKE OVEN DooR MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledJuly 11, 1950 INVENTOR.

OLAV M. TWEIT BY p p/am) ATTORNEY.

March 4, 1952 o.' M. TWEIT COKE OVEN DOOR MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGZ.

Filed July 11, 1950 INVENTOR.

OLAV M. TWEIT flay/W ATTO R N EY- March 1952 o. M. TWEIT COKE OVEN DOORMACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 11, 1950 INVENTOR.

OLAV M. TWEIT /3+ I25 /23 BY I 6 /27 ivy/M ATTORNEY.

March 4, 1952 Filed July 11, 1950 0. M. TWElT COKE OVEN DOOR MACHINE 6Sheets-Sheet 4 OLAV M. TWEIT BY 2 ATTORNEY.

March 4, 1952 o. M. TW EIT 2,588,060

COKE OVEN DOOR MACHINE Filed July 11, 1950 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIGJO.

INVENTOR.

OLAV M. TWEIT BY h y/W ATTORNEY.

March 4, 1952 o; M. TWEIT COKE OVEN DOOR MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 FiledJuly 11 1950 mw m A m L Y B /3 4 Patented Mar. 4, 1952 UN [TE D STAT ESPAT ENT O FF 1 6E COKE OVEN DOOR MACHINE.

Olav M. Tweit', vMountain Lakes; Ni J l, assignor" to" Allied-Chemical &Dye Corporation, New-- York, N. Y-J, a corporation of-New-YorkApplicationJuly 11, 1950, SeriaLNoT 173,141

25 Claims.

This invention. relates to. door machinery and is particularly concernedwith apparatus .for operating self-sealing, doors. of. the type employedto form the removable end closures for horizontal coking chambers ofcoke. ovens of. the type commonly used in. the manufacture. ofmetallurgical coke;

As. used with. horizontal coke ovens, self-seali'ng doors comprise arefractory plug projecting:

into the coking. chamber and a, metal sealing member at the outer sideof" the plug which is pressed into contact. with. the metalsurface ofthe door frame of the coking chamber when the door is in place to sealthe door opening. Coke oven doors of the type referred to are heavystructures andmustibe anchoredsecurely in-place in their normal closed.position to prevent gas leakage through theioint'sbetween the doors andcooperating, door frames. It is now standard practice to secure acokeoven doorofl this. type inplace by the use. of one or more. usuallytwo, latch bars acti'ngbetweena rigid metalouter portionof thedoor,.and' stationary hook parts located at. the sides of the door andcarried by a metallic door frame member or other. portion of themetallic. armor at the sides v off the coke oven battery andinnormall'yfixed relation with the coke oven brickwork. One. type of latch bar ispivotally connected to the door by arotatable member inthe. form ofaspindle or jackscrew adapted to. rotate about ahorizontal axis forturning movement from a horizontalposition inwhich the latchbar engagesthe cooperating stationary hooks on the door frame,.into an inclinedpositionin which the latchibar. is disengaged fromthehooks. The dooralso comprises hook .platesarrangedto engage cooperating, hooks on .adoor machinefor grasping. the door and manipulating it durin its removalfrom the coke ovenmouth for cleaning. purposes.

The door machine. generally employed for removing, and .replacingtheabove-describedtype of coke oven. door comprises means, in the form ofwrenches. for loosening and tightening the spindles or jackscrews on thedoor, means for. rotating the latch bars thereof into andout ofengagement. with. the door frame hooks,.and hook means. for engagementof" the hook. plates of the door to. lift the. door andiholdlit firmlysuspended.

in retracted position from the. coke oven mouth.

As. of. the present,.the door machines for operati ing this assemblygenerally involve the employment of three separate-motorsor' actuatingmechanismswith a plurality of controls. for individually operating. thewrenches, latch bar. rotating. meansandmovable hooks ofthe apparatus.This easily operated means associated withv the" door machine forapplying equal tightening force to the door spindles" has also beensought after, alongjwith suitable socket wrench mechanism in combinationwith" such means for readily and quickly engaging the spindles of'a cokeoven door even if such spindles areout of alignment due to unevenness ofthe tracks onwhich thedoor machine is propelled along the battery face,play of? the door hooks" and" hook plates in their re- 5 spectivepositions on the door machine and the door, small inequalities resultingfrom uneven expansion ofthe brickwork of the-coke oven batt'ery andthelike.

One object of the invention is to provide door-- machinery of simple andrugged construction to remove and replace jackscrew type coke oven"doors, including a single power'means in association with other suitablemeans, for coordinating and performing the operations of loosening ortightening the jacksorews or' spindles of the door; rotating the latchbars thereof into or out of engagement with the frame hooks and engaginor disengaging the hooks" from the hook plates on thedoor, in propersequence-to remove or replace the d'o'or Another object'is to provide adoor machine havingmea'nsfor applying equal tightening force or. torqueon thespindles of the door. Anotheraim: of my invention is to, affordmeans:located onthedoor machine forofisetting misalignment between thewrenches on the door machine and. thespindles on the door, and meansfor-effecting substantially instant engagement between suchwrenches andspindles.

Other objects and advantages of the invention Will appear hereinafter.

The door machine of my invention comprises first of. all a novel andimproved self-aligning socket wrench mechanism for engaging and turningthe rotatable members (spindles or jackscrews) of a coke oven door; evenif the socket wrenches and associated rotatable members are out ofalignment, including a driven shaft, a flared end portion for engagingthe rotatable members, a spring mounted at one end in a hollow portionof such shaft and having its other end associated with the flaredportion, and a sleeve connecting the driven shaft with the flaredportion for rotation thereof, the flared portion being angularly movablewith respect to the sleeve and the latter being angularly movable withrespect to the shaft. Another feature of the invention deviceconstitutes rack and pinion means comprising two racks each in contactwith a single pinion and each in respective engagement with a system ofgears arranged to cause rotation of the socket wrenches and adapted toexert equal tightening force on the wrenches and rotatable members,during replacement of a door in its frame and tightening of the latchbars in the hook members. provided in conjunction with the foregoingsystem of gears to allow a measure of play between movement of the rackand pinion means and the thus actuated wrenches and rotatable members,for reasons hereinafter pointed out.

My improved door machine also includes members in the form of fingersfor rotating the latch bars of the door into and out of engagement withthe hook members on the door frame, hooks for engaging the hook platesof the door and a cam operated member interconnected with the fingersand hooks, the hooks and related structure being preferably designed sothat the coke oven door moves upward a short distance against its doorframe just prior to retraction of the door from the coke oven mouth, andmoves downward against the frame and into its seat just after the doormakes contact with its frame during replacement of the door. A springpressed member is provided which is adapted to urge the lower portion ofthe door machine against the lower portion of the door whereby, when thedoor machine and an engaged door are suspended out of contact with thecoke oven mouth, the machine and door are in a plane somewhat inclinedfrom the vertical with the lower portion of the machine and door fartherforward than the upper portion thereof.

An important feature of the invention resides in provision of a single,preferably hydraulic,

actuating means associated with the rack and pinion means and the camoperated member, for automatically coordinating the operation thereof,whereby on actuation of the hydraulic means in one direction to remove acoke oven door, the rotatable members thereon rotate in a direction todisengage the latch bars from the hook members of the door frame, thehooks engage the hook plates of the door and the fingers rotate thelatch bars out of the hook members, and the opposite sequence ofoperations takes place on actuation of the hydraulic means in theopposite direction to replace the door against its door frame.

The door machine of these improvements is supported and balanced on acarrier adapted to retract the machine and an engaged coke oven dooraway from the coke oven mouth for cleaning and to advance the machineand door toward the mouth of the coke oven for replacement of the dooragainst its frame. A mechanism is further afforded for properlyadjusting the position of the door machine and the socket wrenchesthereof relative to the rotatable mem- A clutch mechanism is bers on thedoor, such function being principally in the nature of a fineadjustment.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification andshowing for purposes of exemplification a preferred apparatus in whichthe invention may be embodied and practiced but without limiting theinvention specifically to such illustrative instances:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the door machine of the invention inoperative relationship with a coke oven door;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of a type of coke oven door adapted to behandled by the door machine of the invention;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section through the door machine shownin Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the door machine and coke oven door of Figure1 shown partly in section through the upper door fastening mechanism; 7

Figure 5 is a section taken along line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a section taken along line 6-6 of Figure 3;

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail of the upper socket wrench mechanism andassociated gear system shown in Figure 3;

Figure 8 is a section taken along line 88 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a section taken along line 9-9 of Figure 7;

Figure 10 is a section taken along line of Figure 7; and

Figure 11 is a schematic representation illustrating certain details inconnection with the operation of the door machine of the invention.

In Figure 1 there is shown. in vertical section a door machine I 5positioned at one end of a horizontal coking chamber I6 forming one of aseries of laterally adjacent chambers of a coke oven battery, a doorframe I1 at the mouth of the chamber I6, and a self-sealing door I8comprising a refractory plug I9 and a metal sealing edge extendingaround the entire periphery of the door and adapted to be pressed intocontact with the door frame I I. The door I8 (see also Figures 2 and 4)is supported in sealing relation to the coking chamber by a pair ofupper and lower latch bars 23 rotatably mounted on the door I8 onspindles or jackscrews 24 which are formed with squared heads 25 andwith threaded portions 26 cooperating with threaded brackets 21 on thedoor assembly so that the bars can be moved perpendicularly of the doorby rotating the jackscrews 24. Door frame I! at the mouth of the cokingchamber I6 is fitted with hooks 38 which are adapted to engage the latchbars 23 when they are rotated to the horizontal position. By turning thej ackscrews 24 in one direction, the latch bars 23 are forced away fromthe door I8 and pressed against the hooks 30 to hold the door againstthe door frame. By turning the jackscrews in the other direction, thelatch bars 23 are rotated out of engagement with the hooks 30 to permitremoval of the door. The door I8 is provided with upper and lower hookplates 33 and with bosses 34. Bumpers 35 on the door machine cooperatewith bosses 34 to hold the door erect during manipulation. v

The door machine I5 is encased in a housing 38 which is entirelysuspended from a lever or yoke 39 by means of pivot pins 40, brackets 44(see Figure 6) connected to pivot pins 40 and housing 38 providingreinforcement for securely maintaining the housing in suspension withoutoscillationlor swaying thereof. A: ram onscarrierx 4 I. connectedrto;yoke 39: by pins; 42: supports the;

entire door; machineandassociated.housing; Ram? 4| in. turn is: carried.by a. support. 43; and isariranged thereon to be: retracted away; fromand advanced toward .a coke: oven. doorby suitablerigidly attachedtodoor machinehousing'38. Expansion of turnbuckle 45 raises closed end49.0f

lever 39 and causes the .lever'to'rotate inra clock-- wise directionabout pivot pin;.4 2to thereby raise: the entirehousing 38. andenclosedadoor machine; I; When turnbuckledfi is contracted; the closed.-end 49. of 1ever39 is 1owered,,resulting incounterw clockwiserotation oflever39. about pivot: pin 42' andthereby. loweringthe housing 3&andgtheen? closed door machine mechanism.. It. will .be'ape parent thatthetforegoinrr turnbuckle means forlowering and raising the doormachine,.as hereinafter more-fully, described, .permits1a. fine1- ads;justment of. the door machine: and socket; wrenches (hereinafter to be.described) thereof in relation to thedoorand jackscrews 2,4'thereon,,for more convenient manipulation of" the coke:

oven-:docr. .7

As more clearly seen'in Figure-:Ztherdoonma: chine l5 of the inventionincludesupper and lower'parallel' self-aligning socket wrench mechanisms5'0 of'novel construction, comprisingflared; socket wrenches 52, eachadaptedtofit over. the. square end .2501" a jackscrew 24. Each. socketwrench 52 has rounde'd zoutwardly extending si'd'e} portions 5! and'anend c1'osuremember58. Sideportions 5! are in frictionalcontact with.the-.in-r ner'surface' of one'end53 of a sleeve53retaihed by housing;55,'the inner surface of, the opposite;

end 53 of the sleeve being in frictionaliengagee;

ment with the surface of a metal block 51 having rounded outwardlyextending side portions; the

shoulder a' ofithe sleever and shoulder b of housing. 5,5;. Usually,such force also. brings about dis. engagement of shoulder c of sleeve 53and. shoul der d of end; closure:member'58. Under these circumstances,socket wrench 52 is free to move. longitudinally or laterally in; orderto fully en' gagethe jackscrewi, The foregoing-socket wrench;

structure is. thus; designed to absorb-anysudden' shockofjcontactbetweenthe wrench and -a jack:

screw; and is also suchthat the wrench will adjustitself to' iproperlyengage. and coactwith a corresponding jackscrew even if" the socket.wrench and jackscrew arev not in perfect alignment.

Driven shaft Whats a gear. 61 fixed thereon near'the end opposite thehollow portion ofthe shaft,, the, latter being mounted in bearings 62retained in. a housing- 53. Meshing with gear fi l.

is a largerjgearg loosely mounted on a driving shaft 65 disposedparallel to shaft 54; Asseen" particularly'in Figure 10, shaft-65 hasaseriestof equally spacedjawsbfi. thereonmounted to fit within a seriesof similar equally spaced jaws 6] located on gear 64. The space betweenthe adjacent jaws 66 and 61 provides a clutch mechanism allowing, about20- degrees of rotation be: tween shaft65 and. gear 65. However, thedifference in size betweensgear 64 and gear 5.] on; driven-.shaft5 l issuch that the amountof free rotation. between driving: shaft 65 anddriven shaft; 54 and theassociatedsocket wrench; 52;;isr about degrees.Mounted on the. oppositeend of shaft from gear 54 is another gearlohavingteeth59, and a flat portion 18 (Fig. 6). Shaft'55 blockbeing keyedto the endof a-driven shaft:

54. In this arrangementsleeve 53 is none-rotatable with respect to shaft54 and socket wrench 52', and the sleeve and-wrench accordingly rotate;in unison with the shaft. However; sleeve'53 may move angularlywithrespect to shaft 540ver' the:

rounded convex'surface of member 5T, and-'socket" wrench 52 maymoveangul'arly with respect to sleeve 53" through contact'ofi the end53" of the sleeve with the similarly rounded'outer sid'e'por tions 5 I'of the socket wrench. It is apparent then that this sleeve arrangementconnecting driven" shaft 54 with socket wrench 52permit'sboth longi--tudinal and lateral" movement of the socket wrench in relation to acorresponding jackscre'w; Mounted in a hollow end portion 59 of shaft'54s is a compression spring 50; the opposite. end'ofl which is incontact with the end closuremember 58 of socketwrench 52-. I

When the socket wrench is in free-position out of: contact with ajackscrew, spring 50 urges sleeve 53 and socket wrench 52 forwarduntilshouldera at end 53" of sleeve 53 makes contact with shoulder b ofhousing 55', and'shoulder c at end53' of sleeve 53-is in engagementwithshoul der (1 of end closure member 55- of socket-wrench I Whensocketwrench 52 is in operative engagement with the" square end 25 of ajackscrew, as

illustrated in Figure 7', the force against-the" spring generallycausesit to contract moving and gears 64- and' 10 are mounted on bearings.

H arranged inhousingy63 which iscomposedof two portions 12 and 13fastened together by means of'bolts ,14. .The; housing 63 is supportedby a base plate 15' which is secured.bymeans of-bolts 88 toaplatelficonnected to door machine hous-- As moreolearly seen inFigureB, the upper and. lower. socket wrench mechanisms are composed of,thesamestructural elements designated-bylike reference numbers exceptthat in the lowermechanism an idler B9 is included in=engagement withgears Bi and. 64 togivethe same directional rotation. to; both. theupper and lowersocket wrenches 52.

Referring particularly to Figure 6; a pair of parallel segmentalracks'll located one above the other are provided, each: of these rackshavin teeth containing end segments 11c and 11b and,

eachofsegments 11a. containing an adjacent flat portion 59. Teeth; l3!of end segments 11a are; adaptedfor operative engagementwith teeth 69ofigearsfluand'fiat. portions 15 of rack segments" Ha are arranged to,cooperate'with vfiat portions 1.8.of gear-5.10.. .End segments Fla ofracks" are eachmountedto slide in a rack housing v83 constitutinganextended portion of housing 63 while the respective, opposite endsegments 11b closely adjacent each other are mounted. to slidein acommon housing 84; Within housing 84; teeth 85 of each' of. racksegments lib areincontact withthe teeth 90. of a pinion 86 mounted; to.rotate aboutpinB?! (see also; Figure 3):. Apair, of compression: springs88. are positioned in housing 84- in contact with. endsegment jw ofracks- 111 urging them away and tending, to maintain' the? racks-in acentered positionwithirespect to; each other.

Rack'ihousingafl alongwithi racks T?! andrpini'on 86 is recipr-ocated:back: andv forth: a verticari direction by nieaus ofiaihydraulicallydriven pi's ton 9| (see Figure 3) contained in a cylinder 92 andattached to a piston rod 93 having sliding engagement with a bearingI99. The opposite end of piston rod 93 is connected to a cross head 95comprising members 99 which are arranged to slide in guideways 91 of aplate 98 attached to door machine housing 38 by means of bolts 99.Referring now chiefly to Figure 5, a pair of arms I92 connected to crosshead 95 and fitting through slots I9I in rack and pinion housing 84,have a rectangular cam member I93 attached to their opposite ends bymeans of bolts I94.

On initial actuation of piston 9I in a downward direction, cross head 95carries housing 84, enclosed pinion 86 and both racks 1'! simultaneouslyin the same direction, such movement causing rotation of both the upperand lower socket wrenches and associated jackscrews in a direction toallow disengagement of latch bars 23 from the frame hooks 39. Rotationof the jackscrews ceases when flat portions I9 of rack segments I'Iamake contact with flat portions I8 of gears I9 in the position shown inFigure 6. Actuation of the piston 9| in an upward direction from theposition shown in Figure 6, brings about movement of both racks TI,along with housing 84 and pinion 89 simultaneously in the same directionto cause rotation of the socket wrenches and jackscrews in a directionto tighten the jackscrews through contact of teeth 8| of rack segments'I'Ia plete tightening of the upper jackscrew. Under these circumstancescontinued upward movement of the piston causes pinion 86 to rotate withrespect to the racks and act as a diiferential to permit the lower rackto continue to move upward and rotate the lower socket wrench until thelower jackscrew has been tightened with a force equal to that applied tothe upper jackscrew.

As seen in Figure 3, door machine I has a pair of upper and lowermovable hooks I95 in the form of levers having pivotal connection withbumpers at points I96. One end of each of bumpers 35 is connected by apin I98 to a bracket I99 attached to the door machine housing'38, theother end of each of the bumpers being connected to a spring pressed pinII5 also supported by the door machine housing, to help cushion anyshock of contact between bumper 35 and hook plates 33 of the coke ovendoor. The upper. and lower hooks I95 are pivotally connected at pointsIII for synchronous movement by means of a rod I91 having a turnbuckleHi! to adjust the length of the rod and the position of the hooks I95with respect to each other. Another rod H2 is pivoted at one end to thehook portion of upper hook lever I95 at point H3 and is attached at itsopposite end to pivot pin II8. Rod II2 also "has a turnbuckle I I4 toadjust its length.

A pair of upper and a pair of lower fingers I 23 are provided, each pairbeing connected to a bar I24 near the opposite ends thereof. Bar I24 issupported by arms I25 through pivotal connections at points I26. At theopposite ends of arms I25, as noted in Figure 4, are pivot pins I22connected to door machine housing 38 by means of brackets I28. Bar I25has a clevis pin I3I intermediate its ends, the clevispin beingconnected to pivot pin I I8.

Pivot pin II8 having rod H2 and bar I24 connected thereto is in turnattached to a bell crank II'I. Bell crank H1 is mounted to oscillateabout pin H9 and carries a roller I29 bearing against cam member I93 asit reciprocates up and down in response to the movement of piston rod 93and guided cross head 95. Bell crank II'I operates in accordance withthe movements 01. roller I29 over the surface of 0am member I93. It isapparent that oscillation of the bell crank about pin II9 withconsequent movement of pin I I8 provides for synchronous actuationupwardly or downwardly of door hooks I and fingers I23. Hence, forexample, in removal of a coke oven door, the fingers I23 rise and rotatethe latch bars 23 of the door I8 out of the frame hooks 39 at just aboutthe same time that hooks I95 of the door machine make contact with thehook plates 33 of the door. Turnbuckles H9 and H4 enable adjustment ofthe relative position of hooks I95 and the fingers I23 to provide thedesired coordinated movement therebetween for contacting in propersequence the hook plates and latch bars of the door. It is noted thatthe hooks I95 are usually so adjusted through turnbuckle I I4 on rod H2,in relation to cam II! that hooks I95 will continue to rise a shortdistance after contact thereof with the door hook plates 33, thusraising the coke oven door slightly against the door frame before thedoor is retracted from the coke oven mouth.

The lower portion of the door machine I5 is balanced in relation to theram or carrier 4| by means of a turnbuckle connection I35 pivotallyconnected at point I36 to ram M, the other end being attached by meansof pivot pin I34 to one end of a bell crank I32 connected to doormachine housing 38 through pivot pin I33. A spring I39 maintained undercompression and resting on member I49 attached to the door machinehousing, is connected to the opposite end of hell crank I32 from pivotpoint I34 through rod I4I fixed at its upper end by means of nuts I42 tothe top of spring I39, the other end of the rod having pivotalconnection with bell crank I32 at point I43. This arrangement, asillustrated in Figure 11, is such that when the door machine is not incontact with a door in the coke oven mouth, the spring I39 urges rod I4Iupwardly causing the bell crank I32 to oscillate clockwise principallyabout pivot point I34, but with some pivotal movement also about pinI33, urging the front edge I44 of the bell crank forward to the dottedline position indicated. Thus, when the door machine is out of contactwith a door in the mouth of the coke oven, the lower portion I45 of thedoor machine is projected somewhat farther forward than the upperportion I46 thereof so that under these circumstances the door machineis not suspended in a perfectly vertical plane as indicated by positionX, but is in a slightly inclined or tilted position as indicated by Xwith the upper portion I49 somewhat behind the lower portion I45. Thedegree of tilt of the door machine may be regulated by expanding orcontracting turnbuckle I35.

When the door machine I5 is moved forward toward a coke oven door forremoval thereof, the lower portion I45 of the door machine makes contactfirst with the door, and as the upper portion I45 of the door machineengages the door on further forward-movement of the ram'4I, spring I39will be opposed by such forward movement of the ram through turnbuckleI35, thus causing the bell crank I32 to turn in a counterclockwisedirection chiefly about pivot point I33 to the full line position shown.On the other hand, when the door machine is rethe jackscrews.

jackscrews :on the coke oven door-have been tracted outwardly away fromthe mouth of the oven, the upper portion I46 of the door machine willmove away from the mouth of the coke oven first and as pin I36 onram 4Icontinues to be further retracted, the resistance of the ram againstspring I39 will gradually be removed allowing thespring through rod I4Ito urge bell crank I32 from the full line position tothe dotted lineposition shown in Figure 11. .'lower portion of the door machine isfinally free W hen the from contact with thelower portion of the-doorframe the door machine once again is in the inclined position abovedescribed with the bottom portion I45 of the door machine advancedfarther forward than the upper portion MB-thereof. In complete operationof the door machine of the invention for removing and replacing a cokeoven door from the mouth of a .coke oven'battery, 'door machine I5 isfirst spotted adjacent the door I8 and the door maclline is movedforward toward it. On contact ofbumpers 350i the door machine with hookplates 33 of the door, socket wrenches 52 are brought into engagen'centw'i'th thesquared heads 25 of the corresponding upper and lowerjackscrews 25. If the socket wrenches are not in perfect alignment withthe jackscrews, 'turnbuckle 46 my be either expanded orc'ontracted so asto either raise or lower "the door machine. This raising or lowering ofthe door machine through rotation of yoke 39 about pins 3 42 results ina raising or lowering ofthe socket wrenches 52 constituting a -fineadjustment of the socket wrenches relative to the position of thejackscr'ews to enable proper engagement therebetween. Should the pointedend of a, jack- Screw strike the i of t flaredhportioh a socket wrench'52 to center on thejackscrew.

1 The free rotational play or back la'sh between shaft '65 and gear 64broughtabout through the arrangement of clutch jaws '66 and 6''!respectively thereon, allows sufiicient rotation of the socket wrench 52"onto the squared head 25 of "the"jackscrew for-full engagementtherewith. Hence, "springs 60 in conjunction with the free rotationalplay afforded "by "the aforementioned clutch "mechanism, permitsubstantially instant engagement betweenthe socket wrenches andcorresponding J'ackscrews.

rotation of gears 'I0 which, throughgears 64 and 6|, in turn causerotation of shafts 54, socket wrenches 52 and the engaged jackscrews' ina clockwise direction-for movement of the latch bars '23 toward the doorand out of engagement with frame hooks 35. It is noted that theaforementioned back lash due to clutch jaw s"66 and 61 will allow thepiston to begin its :ini tial downward stroke before meeting anyresistance from When both the upper and 'lower rotated sufiiciently toloosen the latch bars from Figures 1, 3 and stroke-is taken up inrotating the socket Wrenches and the :enga'ged jackscrews.

The remainder :of the *downwardtstrokeof the piston in cylinder 92carries cam member I03 downwardly from its position shown in- Figure 3,resulting in movement of roller I20 in engagement therewith to the rightand over the top of cam member 503. Under the circumstances, bell crankII'I oscillates about pin H9 in acounterclockwise direction causingpivot pin 1 I8 to move upwardly carrying rod H2 and bar 425simultaneously in the same direction. Such movement of rod II-Z firstbrings hooks I05 into engagement with hook plates 33 or the coke ovendoor while continued upward movement of .rod H2 causes the engaged hooksto raise the door a short distance above its seat, say on the order ofabout one-inch, to facilitate its removal from the coke oven mouth, theself-aligning socket wrench mechanisms of the door machine of theinvention compensating for any relative movement between the iackscrewsand socket wrenches during such upward movement of the door. Further,while the door is being thus raised vertically, it remains in contactwith the door frame and tends to loosen any incrustationsof-carbonaceous material which may have been deposited along the sealingedges of the door and/or frame during carbonization.- In this sameperiod while the hooks-I05 are making contact with hook plates 33 andraising the door slightly, fingers I23 mounted on bar 24 rise intocontact with and rotate latchbars 23 in a clockwise direction, as seenin Figure 2, sufficiently away from the horizontal to clear the hooksWon the door frame. The door machine I5 with the door firmly graspedthereby is then retracted outwardlyron ram M by a separate power means(not shown), the top portion of the door moving away from the door framebefore the lower portion of the door breaks contact with the door plates33.

vhooks 3il 'on the door frame II.

frame so that the door is held balanced and suspended away from the doorframe in a slightly 'inclinedrposition from the vertical in the'mannerdescribed above.

For -replacing a coke oven door I8 in its frame in :the mouth of thecokeoven, ram 4! carrying the door machine I5 and the engaged door is movedforward until the door makes contact with the door frame. Inso doing,through the arrangement of spring I39, bell crank I32-ancl turnbuckleI35 as described above,the lower portion of thedoor I8 engages thedoorframe first and as the ram continues to move forward slightly, theupper portion of the door then makes contact'with the door frame.-Hydraulic pressure is applied to the bottom of cylinder 92 causingpistbnii-I and attached-piston rod 93 and cross head 95 with associated gearracks II to move upwardly. The first portion of upward travel ofthe-piston brings roller I20 in contact with theunderside of 0am memberI03, as seen in Figure dyoscillating bell crank II! in a clockwisedirection and lowering rod I I2 and bar I24. Such movement 0f the rod:lowers the door I8 vertically into its seat in the door frame afterwhich hooks 405 become disengaged from hook During this :period thelowering of bar I24 causes fingers I23 to move-downwarclly to rotate thelatch bars 23 'of the door =downwardl-y in a counterclockwise direction,as seen in Figure 2, into a horizontal position in the The lowering ofrod H2 and bar I24 is brought about largely by their weight and theweightof the associated parts. I V e 95'continue to moveupwardly,theteeth 8I of end segments 'IIa of racks 17 make contact with the teeth69 of gears to rotate the socket wrenches 52 and the engaged jackscrewsin a counterclockwise direction to tighten the jackscrews and move latchbars 23 away from the door and into tight frictional engagement withframe hooks 30. Should the full tightening force be applied to onejackscrew before the other, the pinion 86 in conjunction with racks 11functions in the manner above described, i. e. as a differential, ineffecting equal tightening of the other jackscrew to insure a gas-tightseal between the door and its frame. After the piston reaches the top ofthe stroke the socket wrenches are disengaged from the jackscrews,following which the racks 11 return to a centered position with respectto each other by the action of springs 88. The door is now in gas-tightposition in the coke oven mouth with the sealing edge of the doortightly pressed against the door frame H. The door machine 15 may thenbe retracted and another coking cycle commenced.

I claim:

1. A door machine for manipulating a coke oven door adapted to seatagainst a door frame, said door comprising a plurality of rotatablemembers and a plurality of latch bars each pivotally connected to saidmembers respectively for rotation thereon into and out of engagementwith hook members on said door frame; which comprises means foroperating said rotatable members, means for rotating said latch bars,door engaging means, and a single actuating means interconnected withall of said foregoing means for coordinating the operation of saidforegoing means in proper sequence to manipulate said door.

7 2. A coke oven door machine for manipulating a coke oven door adaptedto seat against a stationary door frame, said door comprising aplurality of members each rotatable on a separate horizontal axis and aplurality of latch bars each pivotally connected to said membersrespectively for rotation thereon into and out of engagement with hookmembers on said door frame; which comprises socket wrenches for engagingsaid rotatable members, rack and pinion means arranged to operate saidwrenches, means for rotating said latch bars, door engaging means, and asingle actuating means interconnected with all of said foregoing meansfor automatically coordinating the operation of said foregoing means inproper sequence to manipulate said door.

3. A door machine for manipulating a coke oven door adapted to seatagainst a stationary door frame, said door comprising a plurality ofmembers each rotatable on a separate horizontal axis and a plurality oflatch bars each pivotally connected to said members respectively forrotation thereon into and out of engagement with hook members on saiddoor frame; which comprises self-aligning socket wrenches for engagingsaid rotatable members, rack and pinion means constructed and arrangedto rotate said wrenches through a system of gears, means for rotatingsaid latch bars into and out of engagement with said hook members, doorengaging means, and a single actuating means interconnected with all ofsaid foregoing means for automatically coordinating the operation ofsaid foregoing means in proper sequence to manipulate said door.

4. A coke oven door machine for grasping and suspending a coke oven doorout of contact with the mouth of a coke oven, said door being adapted toseat against a door frame and comprising a plurality of members eachrotatable on a separate horizontal axis and a plurality of latch barseach pivotally connected to said members respectively for rotationthereon into and out of engagement with hook members on said door frame;which comprises self-aligning socket wrenches for engaging saidrotatable members, rack and pinion means constructed and arranged torotate said wrenches through a system of gears, means for rotating saidlatch bars into and out of engagement with said hook members, doorengaging means, a spring pressed member adapted to urge the lowerportion of said door machine against said door, and a single hydraulicactuating means interconnected with all of said foregoing means forautomatically coordinating the operation of said foregoing means inproper sequence to manipulate said door.

5. A coke oven door machine for grasping and suspending a coke oven doorin balanced position out of contact with the mouth of a coke oven, saiddoor being adapted to seat against a-stationary door frame andcomprising a plurality of members each rotatable on a separate horizontal axis, and a plurality of latch bars each pivotally connected tosaid members respectively for rotation thereon into and out ofengagement with hook members on said door frame; which comprisesself-aligning socket wrenches for engaging said rotatable members, eachof said wrenches including a driven shaft, 9, flared end portion forengaging said rotatable members, a spring mounted at one end in a hollowportion of said shaft and having its other end in contact with saidflared end portion and a sleeve connecting said shaft with said flaredportion for rotation thereof, said flared portion being angularlymovable with respect to said sleeve and said sleeve being angularlymovable with respect to said shaft; rack and pinion means constructedand. arranged to rotate said shaft, means for rotating said latch barsinto and out of engagement with said hook members, door engaging means,and a single actuating means interconnected with all of said foregoingmeans for automatically coordinating the operation of said foregoingmeans in proper sequence to manipulate said door.

6. A coke oven door machine for grasping and suspending a coke oven doorin balanced position out of contact with the mouth of a coke oven, saiddoor being adapted to seat against a stationary door frame andcomprising a plurality of rotatable members with their axes in ahorizontal plane and a plurality of latch bars pivotally connected tosaid members for rotation thereon into and out of engagement with hookmembers on said door frame; which comprises self-aligning socketwrenches for engaging said rotatable members, rack and pinion meanscomprising two racks each in contact with a single pinion and each inrespective engagement with a system of gears arranged to cause rotationof said wrenches, said rack and pinion means being adapted to exertequal tightening force on said wrenches and rotatable members duringreplacement of a door in its frame and tightening of said latch bars insaid hook members, means for rotating said latch bars into and out ofengagement with said hook members, door engaging means, and a singleactuating means interconnected with all of said foregoing means forautomatically coordinating the operation of said foregoingmeans inproper sequence to manipulate said door.

7. A door machine for manipulating a, coke oven door adapted to seatagainst a door frame, said door comprising a plurality of members eachrotatable on a separate horizontal axis, a plurality of latch bars eachpivotally connected to said members respectively for rotation thereoninto and out of engagement with hook members on said door frame and aplurality of- 'ho'okplates; which comprises self-aligning socketwrenches for engaging said rotatable members, rack and pinion meansconstructed and arranged through a system of gears to rotate saidwrenches, fingers for rotating said latch cars into and out ofengagement with said hook members, hooks for engaging said hook plates,a cam operated member connected to said fingers and said hooks, and

.a single means interconnected with said rack and pinion means and saidcam operated mem her for actuating and automatically coordinating .theoperation of said rack and pinion means and said member with associatedfingers and hooks in proper sequence to manipulate said door.

,8. A coke oven door machine for removing and replacing a coke oven doorand maintaining it suspended in balanced position out of contact withthe mouth of a coke oven for cleaning purposes, said door being adaptedto seat against a door .frame and comprising a plurality of members eachrotatable on a separate horizontal axis, said members being locatedsubstantially in a vertical plane, a plurality of latch bars eachpivotally connected to said members respectively members, a clutchmechanism arranged in conjunction with said system of gears to allow ameasure of play between movement of said rack and pinion means and thethus actuated wrenches, fingers for rotating said latch bars into andout of engagement with said hook members, hooks for engaging said hookplates, a, cam operated member interconnected with said fingers andhooks, a spring pressed member adapted to urge the lower portion of saiddoor machine and door against said door frame, and a single hydraulicactuating means interconnected with said rack and pinion means and saidcam operated member whereby, on actuation of said hydraulic means in onedirection to remove said door, said rotatable members rotate in adirection to disengage said latch bars from said frame hooks, andthereupon said hooks engage said hook plates and said fingers rotatesaid latch bars out of said frame hooks, and on actuation of saidhydraulic means in the opposite direction to replace said door againstits door frame, the opposite sequence of operations takes place.

9. A coke oven door machine as defined in claim 8 wherein the doormachine is supported and balanced from points near its top and bottom,

...ment of the door against its frame, said door machine including amechanism to raise and :14 lower said machine for properly adjusting theposition of said socket wrenches relative 'to'said rotatable members;said "spring pressed member being in association with the -bottom pointof balance of the machine'on said carrier and urging the lower portionof said door machine against the lower portion of said door whereby,when the door machine and anengaged' door are suspended out of contactwith 'the coke oven mouth, said machine and door are in a plane somewhatinclined from the vertical with the lower 'portionof said machine anddoor farther forward thanthe upper portion thereof; and "said camoperated member and interconnected fingers and hooks being so designedthat said door moves upwarda short distance against its door frame justprior to retraction of thedoor from the coke oven mouth, and movesdownward against the frame and into its seat just after the door makescontact with its frame during-replacement of the door.

10. Acoke-oven door machine for 'remov-ing'and replacing a cokeoven'door and maintain-ing-it in balanced position out of contact withthe mouth of a coke oven, said door being adapted to seat against astationary door frame and comprising a plurality-of memberseachrotatable -on a separate horizontal axis, said members being locatedsubstantially in a vertical-plane, and a plurality of latch bars eachpivotally connected to-said members respectively for rotation thereoninto and out of engagement with hook members on said door frame; whichcomprises self-aligning socket wrenches for engaging said rotatablemembers, each of said wrenches including. a driven shaft, a flaredportion for engaging said rotatable members, said flared portion havinga closure member at one end thereof, a spring mounted at one end in ahollow portion of said shaft and having its other end in contact withsaid closure member and a sleeve connectingsaid driven shaft with saidflared portion for rotation thereof, said flared portion beingangularlymovable with respect to said sleeve and said sleeve being angularlymovable with respect to said shaft; rack and pinion means comprising tworacks each in contact with a single pinion and each in respectiveengagement with a system of gears arranged to cause rotationiof, saidwrenches on movement of said racks, said rack and pinion means beingadapted to exert equal tightening force on said wrenches and rotatablemembers during replacement of a door in its frame and tightening of saidlatch bars in said hook members, means for moving-said latch bars intoand out of engagement with said hook members, door engaging means, and asingle hydraulic actuating means interconnected. with all of saidforegoing means for automatically coordinating the operation of saidforegoing means in proper sequence to manipulate said door.

11. A coke oven door machine for removing and replacing a coke oven doorand maintaining it suspended in balanced position outof contact with themouth of a coke oven for cleaning purposes, said, door being adapted toseat against a door frame and comprising upper and lower parallelrotatable members located substantially in a vertical plane, a pair oflatch bars each pivotally connected to said upper and lower membersrespectively for rotation thereon into and out of engagement with hookmembers, on

- said door frame and upper and lower hook plates;

which comprises upper and lower self-aligning socket wrenches eachincluding a hollow driven 15 shaft, a flared portion having roundedoutwardly extending sides for engaging said rotatable members, saidflared portion having a closure member at one end thereof, a springmounted at one end in a hollow portion of said shaft and having itsother end in contact with said closure member, the hollow end of saidshaft having rounded outwardly extending sides, a sleeve in frictionalcontact with the outwardly extending sides of said shaft and said flaredportion for rotation thereof in unison with said shaft, said flaredportion being angularly movable with respect to said sleeve and saidsleeve being angularly movable with respect to said shaft, therebypermitting longitudinal and lateral movement of said wrenches inrelation to said rotatable 'tem of gears to allow a measure of playbetween movement of said racks and the thus actuated wrenches, fingersfor rotating said latch bars into and out of engagement with said hookmembers, hooks for engaging said hook plates, a

member interconnected with said fingers and hooks,'a cam element foroperating said member, a spring pressed member adapted to urge the lowerportion of said door machine against said door and a single hydraulicactuating means attached to said rack and pinion means and said camelement whereby, on actuation of said hydraulic means in one directionto remove said door, said rotatable members rotate in a direction todisengage said latch bars from said hook members, and thereupon saidhooks engage said hook plates and said fingers rotate said latch barsout of said hook members, and on actuation of said hydraulic means inthe opposite direction to replace said door against its door frame, theopposite sequence of operations takes place.

12. In a coke oven door machine of the type described, a self-aligningsocket wrench mechanism for rotating a spindle of a coke oven door,comprising a driven shaft, a flared end portion for engaging saidspindle, said flared portion having a closure member at one end thereof,a

spring mounted at one end in a hollow portion of said shaft and havingits other end in contact'with said closure member and a sleeveconnecting said driven shaft with said flared portion for rotationthereof, said flared portion being angularly movable with respect tosaid sleeve and said sleeve being angularly movable with respect to saidshaft, whereby said flared portion is adapted to properly engage androtate a corresponding spindle even if said flared portion and saidspindle are out of alignment.

13. In a coke oven door machine of the type described, a self-aligningsocket wrench mechanism as defined in claim 12 having a driving shaft inoperative engagement with said driven shaft and a clutch mechanism onsaid driving shaft constructed and arranged to impart a measure of playbetween said driving and driven shafts.

14. In a coke oven door machine of the type described, a self-aligningsocket wrench mechaanism for rotating the jackscrews of a coke oven doorfor manipulation thereof, which comprises a driven shaft having a hollowportion in one end, the hollow end of said shaft having roundedoutwardly extending side portions, a sleeve mounted on said shaft withthe inner surface of one end of said sleeve in frictional contact withsaid rounded side portions, a flared socket wrench having roundedoutwardly extending side portions and adapted to engage the end of oneof said jackscrews, a closure member in contact with the other end ofsaid socket wrench, the rounded side portions of said socket wrenchbeing in frictional contact with the inner surface of the other end ofsaid sleeve, a compression spring having one end mounted in the hollowportion of said shaft and the other end in contact with said closuremember, said socket wrench and said sleeve being fixed for rotation inunison with said shaft, and said socket wrench being adapted to moveangularly with respect to said sleeve and said sleeve being in turnadapted to move angularly with respect to said shaft, thereby permittinglongitudinal and lateral movement of said wrench in relation to acorresponding jackscrew for proper engagement and rotation thereof evenif out of alignment with said wrench.

15. In a coke oven door machine of the type described, a self-aligningsocket wrench mechanism as defined in claim 15 including an outwardlyextending shoulder at the end of said sleeve in contact with said shaft,a stop member adjacent thereto, an inwardly extending shoulder at theopposite end of said sleeve and a shoulder on said closure member,whereby, when said socket wrench is in free position out of contact witha jackscrew, said spring urges said sleeve forward so that saidoutwardly extending shoulder at one end of said sleeve is in engagementwith said stop member and said inwardly extending shoulder is in contactwith the shoulder on said closure member, thus maintaining the socketwrench mechanism substantially perpendicular to the face of the cokeoven door prior to engagement thereof.

16. In a coke oven door machine of the type described, a self-aligningsocket wrench mechanism as defined in claim 14 for rotating thejackscrews of a coke oven door for removing and replacing said door,having a first gear fixed to the other end of said driven shaft from thehollow portion thereof, a driving shaft parallel to said driven shaft, asecond gear loosely mounted on said driving shaft near one end thereofand in engagement with said first gear, jaws on said driving shaft andinterlocking jaws on said sec- 0nd gear, said jaws being respectivelyspaced so as to allow a degree of free rotation between said drivingshaft and said second gear and between said driving shaft and saidsocket wrench, said spring and said degree of free rotation permittingsaid socket wrench to adapt itself for substantially instant engagementwith the end of a corresponding jackscrew.

17. In a coke oven door machine of the type described having upper andlower socket wrenches for rotating the upper and lower spindles of acoke oven door, a device for applying equal tightening force to saidsocket wrenches and spindles when in operative relationship, whichcomprises two parallel racks each in contact with a single pinion andeach in respective engagement with a system of gears arranged to causerotation of said socket wrenches, whereby on movement of said racks andassociated pinion in a direction to effect tightening of said spindlesand socket wrenches, said pinion acts as a differential to exert equaltightening force on both spindles. I .18. In a coke oven ,doormachine ofthe type described having upper and lower socket wrenches for rotatingthe upper and lower jackscrews of a coke oven door, a device forapplying equal tightening force to said socket wrenches and iackscrewswhen in operative relationship, which comprises two parallel racks eachbeing encased at one end in a housing having sliding engagement withsaid racks, a pinion in said housing in engagement with said racks,springs in said housing each in contact with the respective ends of saidracks urging them away and tending to maintain the racks in a centeredposition with respect to each other, the opposite end of each of saidracks having engagement with a system of gears arranged to causerotation of said socket wrenches, whereby on movement of the racks andpinion in a direction to effect tightening of said jackscrws and socketwrenches, said pinion acts as a difierential and commences to rotatewith respect to said racks after one jackscrew has been completelytightened and until the same tightening force has been applied to theother jackscrew.

19. In combination in a coke oven doormachineof the type described,upper and lower selfaligning socket wrenches for rotating the upper andlower spindles of a coke oven door, each comprising a driven shaft, aflared portion for engaging said spindlessaid flared portion having aclosure member at one end thereof, a spring mounted at one end in ahollow portion of said shaft and having its other end in contact withsaidclosure member and a sleeve connecting said driven shaft with saidflared portion for rotation thereof, said flared portion being angularlymovable with respect to said sleeve and said sleeve being angularlymovable with respect to i 18 gear; and a device fcrapplying equaltightening force to said socket wrenches and jackscrews when inoperative relationship which comprises a pair of parallel racks each incontact at their opposite ends with said third gear, the other ends ofsaid racks being encased in a housing having Y sliding engagement withsaid racks, a pinion in said housing in engagement with said racks,springs in said housing in contact with the respective ends of saidracks urgin them away and tending to maintain the racks in a centeredposition, saidracks and pinion mechanism being adapted to rotate saidsocket wrenches by reciprocating movement of said mechanism, whereby onmovement of the racks and pinion in a direction to effect tightening ofsaid jackscrews and socket wrenches, said pinion acts as a differentialand commences to rotate with respect to said racks after one jackscrewhas been completely tightened and until the same tightening force hasbeen applied to the other jackscrew 21. Ina coke oven door machine ofthe type I described, upper and lower interconnected hooks for engagingthe hook plates .of a coke oven door,

' an arm pivotally engaged at one end thereof .to

spindle even if they are outoi alignment, a driving shaft in operativeengagement with said driven shaft and a clutch mechanism on said drivingshaft to permit a measure of play betweenwsaid driving and drivenshafts; and a devicefor applying equal tightening force to said socketwrenches and spindles when in operative relationship, which comprisestwo parallel racks each in contact with a single pinion andeach inoperative engagement with one of said driving shafts to cause rotationof said socket wrenches, whereby on movement of said racks andassociatedpinion in a direction to effect tighten-ing of said spindlesand socket wrenches, said pinion acts as a .difierential to exert :e ualtightening force on both spindles.

'20.. In combination in a coke over door machine-of the type described,upperand lower selfalign-in socket wrench mechanisms as defined in claim15 for :retating the upper and lower jackscrews of a coke oven door forremoving and replacing said door, said mechanisms having a first gearfixed to the other end of said :driven shaft from the hollow portionthereof, a driving shaft parallel to said driven shaft, a second gearloosely mounted on said driving shaft near one end thereof and inengagement with said first gear, jaws on said driving shaft andinterlocking jaws on said second gear, said jaws being respectivelyspaced so as to allow a degree of free rotation between saiddrivingshaft and said second "gear, and third gear mounted .on saiddriving shaft near the end opposite said second one of said hooks and atthe other end to a p'ivoted bell crank, said bell crank having a rollermountedthereon, a pair of upper and lower fingers adapted to makecontact with the latch bars of said door, said fingers being mounted on.a bar pivotally connected at a point intermediate its ends to said bellcrank, and an actuating mechanism having a cam member in contact a withsaid roller, whereby on actuation of said cam member, the associatedroller moving in response thereto causes oscillation of said bell crankand synchronized actuation of said hooks and fingers for manipulation ofsaid door.

.22. In the device defined in claim 19, interconnected upper and lowerhooks for engaging the door, upper and lower fingers for contacting androtating latch bars pivotallymounted on the spindles of the door, saidhooks operating in conjunction with said fingers by means of a cam androller mechanism, and a single means connected to said racks and to saidcam for actuating and coordinating the operation of said racks andassociated pinion, and saidcam and roller mechanism with associatedhooks and fingers, in proper sequence for removing or re placing a cokeoven door.

23. Apparatus for removing and replacin a coke oven door in its frame inthe mouth of .a' coke oven, said door comprising upper and lowerJrackscrews adapted to rotate about a horizontal axis, a latch barpivotally mounted on each of said jackscrews for rotation thereon intoand. out of engagement with hook members on said door frame and upperand lower hook plates; which comprises a support, a carrier mounted onsaid support for movement toward and away from the coke oven mouth, alever supported by said carrier, a door machine pivotally suspended in ahousing from a point intermediate the ends of said lever, means forraising and lowering the door machine housing and door machine forproper adjustment of the latter relative to the J'ackscrews on saiddoor, said door machine comprising upper and lower self-aligning socketwrenches for engaging said jackscrews, a system of gears associated witheach of said socket wrenches, a pair .of racks each engaged at theirpposite ends with one gear of said respective gear systems, each of saidracks having a fiat portion near one end thereof for contact with flatportion on said one gear, the other ends of said racks being encased ina housing having sliding engagement with said racks, a pinion in saidhousing in engagement with said racks, springs in said housing incontact with the respective ends of said racks urging them away andtending to maintain the racks in a centered position with respect toeach other, said racks and pinion mechanism bein adapted to rotate saidsocket wrenches by reciprocating movement of said mechanism and saidpinion acting as a differential to apply equal tightening force to thesocket wrenches and jackscrews on movement of the racks and pinion in adirection to effect tightening of said jackscrews, fingers for rotatingsaid latch bars into and out of engagement with said hook members, upperand lower hooks for engaging said hook plates, a member interconnectedwith said fingers and hooks, a cam for operating said member, hydraulicactuating means attached to said racks and pinion housing and said cam,a spring pressed member urging the lower portion of said door machinetowards the lower portion of said door, said spring pressed memberincluding a compression spring and a rod connected at one end to saidspring and at the other end to a bell crank associated with saidcarrier, whereby, on movement of said door machine and an engaged dooraway from the door frame, the top portion of the door is retracted fromthe door frame before the bottom portion thereof and when the door isreplaced against the door frame, the bottom portion of the door makescontact with the bottom portion of the door frame before the top portionof the door comes into contact with the door frame, operation of saidactuating means in one direction for removal of said door causingmovement of said racks in the same direction to rotate said socketwrenches and the engaged jackscrews in a direction to disengage saidlatch bars from said hook members, followed by engagement of said hookswith said hook plates and contact of said fingers with said latch barsand rotation thereof out of said frame hook members, the oppositesequence of operations taking place during replacement of said dooragainst said door frame.

24. Apparatus for removing and replacing a coke oven door in its framein the mouth of a coke oven, said door comprising upper and lowerparallel rotatable jackscrews having their axes in a horizontal plane, apair of latch bars each pivotally mounted on one of said jackscrews forrotation thereon into and out of engagement with hook members on saiddoor frame and upper and lower hook plates; which comprises a support, acarrier mounted on said support for movement toward and away from thecoke oven mouth, a lever in the form of a yoke having an open end and a,closed end, said lever being in a substantially horizontal plane andbeing pivotally supported at its open end by said carrier from aposition near the upper portion thereof, a door machine pivotallysuspended in a housing from a point intermediate the ends of said lever,a turnbuckle having one end connected to a bracket on said housing andthe other end pivotally engaged to the closed end of said lever, saidturnbuckle being adapted to rotate said lever about its point ofconnection with said carrier to thereby raise and lower the door machinehousing and door machine for proper adjustment of the latter relative tothe jackscrews on said door, said door machine comprising self-aligningsocket wrenches for engaging said rotatable Jackscrews, rack and pinionmeans constructed and arranged through a system of gears to rotate saidwrenches and exert equal tightening force thereon during replacement ofa door in its frame and tightening of said latch bars in said hookmembers, a clutch mechanism arranged in conjunction with said system ofgears to allow a measure of play between movement of said rack andpinion means and the thus actuated wrenches, upper and lowerinterconnected hooks for engaging the hook plates of said door, an armpivotally engaged at one end thereof to one of said hooks and at theother end to a pivoted bell crank, said bell crank having a rollermounted thereon, a pair of upper and lower fingers adapted to makecontact with the latch bars of said door, said fingers being mounted ona, bar pivotally connected at a point intermediate its ends to said bellcrank, a hydraulic cylinder having a piston, a rod'connected thereto anda cross head attached to said rod, said cross head being connected tosaid rack and pinion means and to a cam member in contact with theroller on said bell crank, a second pivoted bell crank connected at oneend to the lower portion of said carrier and at the other end to acompression spring by means of a rod, said sprin urging the lowerportion of said door machine toward the door, whereby on movement ofsaid door machine and an engaged door away from the door frame, the topportion of the door is retracted from the door frame before the bottomportion thereof and .when the door is replaced against the door frame,the bottom portion of the door makes contact with the bottom portion ofthe door frame before the top portion of the doorcomesintocontactwiththe doorframe, actuation of the piston rod and attached crosshead in one direction for removal of said door causing movement of saidrack and pinion means in the same direction to rotate said socketwrenches and the engaged jackscrews in a direction to disengage saidlatch bars from said hook members, followed by engagement of said hookswith said hook plates, contact of said fingers with said latch bars androtation thereof out of said frame hook members, and a slight raising ofthe door above its seat, the opposite sequence of operations takingplace during replacement of said door against said door frame.

25. In a coke oven door machine of the type described, a self-aligningsocket wrench mechanism for rotating a spindle of a coke oven door,comprising a driven shaft, a flared end portion for engaging saidspindle, a resilient member mounted at one end in a hollow portion ofsaid shaft and having its other end in'contact with said flared endportion and a sleeve connecting said driven shaft with said flaredportion for rotation thereof, said fiared portion being angularlymovable with respect to said sleeve and said sleeve being angularlymovable with respect to said shaft.

OLAV M. TWEIT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,724,861 Thomas Aug. 13, 19292,157,566 Potter May 9, 1939 2,299,916 McIntire Oct. 27, 1942

